Beauty and the Geek Preview

"The last book I read was Sweet Valley High." Oh, not me, tubers! (Although I must admit, once upon a glorious time, I did read volumes 1 through 67.)

No, that is a direct quote from the new season of the CW's Beauty and the Geek, which starts tonight. And hey, with all the reruns lately, I'm personally excited about the idea of something new, aren't you?

The ditzy lookers and the brainy oddballs are back for another installment of television's sweetest makeover show, and after previewing the first ep, I can tell you it's as addictive as ever. If you tune in once, you'll likely be sucked in on this smarts versus social skills competition. "I think contestant-wise, [this season is] different," executive producer Jason Goldberg tells me. "Looking at the first two seasons, there was always a standout person. Season one, it was Richard Rubin. Season two, it was really Tyson, who was a loveable creature who could solve a Rubik's Cube in eight seconds. But this year, we really wanted to get strong personalities across the board."

Strong and scandalous! Jason reveals that one of this season's geeks actually gets to "live the dream of every man." Sure, that tease is a bit cryptic, but I think we all know where he's heading with it. You go, geek!

And of course, what would Beauty be without an in-house hookup as well? "It never ceases to amaze me," laughs Jason. "Doing this show, at the beginning of each season, [co–executive producer] Ashton [Kutcher] and I always say, 'Well, the romance thing will never play.' And every year, it happens. It's just unbelievable." Not bad for a bunch of boys who would sincerely choose watching Star Trek over the company of a woman and who don't know the meaning of the word booty.